Monday, November 5, 2012

Also:Monetary donations to the Hoboken CERT Team, from those who are able to give, would be greatly appreciated. Checks should be made out to Hoboken Emergency Response Team and sent to CERT, 1139 Park Avenue, Ground Floor, Hoboken, NJ 07030. We are a 501(c)(3) organization. Again, your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you!!!

City of Hoboken

Power
All 3 substations in Hoboken have been repaired and energized. If you still do not have power, contact PSE&G by calling 800-436-7734 or through MyAccount at www.pseg.com so they can troubleshoot. There may be issues between the substation and your home (tap lines, transformers, service drops, etc), or you may need to contact an electrician to inspect and potentially repair the electrical panel or wiring within your building. The City has a team of electricians to check on equipment and make sure it is functioning and safe before power can be restored to buildings. This is a necessary step in order to restore power to those remaining buildings. If you still do not have power, call the Hoboken Utility Help Line (9am-5pm) at 214-561-0671/0672/0674/0675 and we will put your address on a list for inspections. Once an electrician becomes available, we will then dispatch them to your site. The City also strongly encourages individuals to coordinate to have their own electrician do this inspection and submit the inspection verification form in order to notify the City that the site has been inspected. Those forms for your electrician to fill out for verification are located at: www.hobokennj.org/sandy/Construction-Electrical.pdf

If using a City deployed inspector, the City will pay for the initial assessment, but any repairs that are necessary will need to be coordinated and paid for by the property owner. Property owners may be able to be reimbursed by FEMA for such expenses. Similar processes will be required for restoring gas service.

Election
The Election will be held for Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Voting hours are 6am to 8pm.

Voting will take place at usual polling locations EXCEPT for Ward 4, District 5. The Boys & Girls Club sustained major damage so the 4-5 polling location will be relocated to the Multi Service Center (124 Grand St). The polling location at 3-3 (15 Church Towers) will have power and WILL NOT move.

In Hoboken, in addition to voting for federal offices, voters will also vote for school board and three local ballot questions related to moving local elections to November, rent control, and eliminating runoff elections.

Public Transportation
· Beginning Tuesday, November 6th, limited PATH service will run on the Journal Square - 33 Street line from 5 a.m. through 10 p.m., seven days a week. Trains will not stop at Christopher Street or 9th Street stations.Trains do not stop in Hoboken, but Hoboken residents can walk or bike to Newport along the Waterfront Walkway.
· NJ TRANSIT doubled the number of buses on Monday and is working with the FTA to add more buses on Tuesday to alleviate crowding.
· NY Waterway has resumed normal weekday bus and ferry service from 14th Street and Hoboken Terminal.
· Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will be operating with limited service between Tonnelle Avenue and Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, and with shuttle service from Hoboken Terminal to Marin Blvd. in Jersey City on 20 minute intervals.
· All pedestrian access to Hoboken Terminal is from the waterfront ONLY.

Disaster Relief (FEMA)
If you suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy, it is absolutely essential that you register for disaster assistance from FEMA. Document (photos, etc) the damage and save receipts.

Food & Beverage Sales
Establishments must be inspected and cleared for opening prior to establishing operation. Please contact: The Hoboken Health Department, 94 Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Hoboken, NJ 07030. (201) 420-2375. Although you must call for an inspection, we would also prefer that you email the Health Department as well: fsasso@hobokennj.org.

Garbage
Trash pickup has resumed. Additional trucks have been brought in to supplement crews. Please be patient while crews work as quickly as possible and postpone throwing out large amounts of trash unless necessary. Damaged furniture can be left at curb. Separate white goods (appliances) into separate pile. They must be recycled. NO electronics. No hazardous waste.

Donations
Donations to the Rebuild Hoboken Relief Fund can be made online or by mail. For information visit: www.rebuildhoboken.org. Please – no more donations of supplies. We are fully stocked and in the process of sorting and distributing supplies. Please donate to other communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

Ragamuffin Parade
The City of Hoboken wants to make sure that all Hoboken children have the chance to participate in Halloween. As a result, since power has not yet been completely restored at this time, we are rescheduling the Ragamuffin parade for this Monday, November 12, 2012. The time and additional details will be announced shortly.

Parking
Parking enforcement is suspended through Monday, November 12, 2012 at 8pm. If your car was damaged by flooding, please have it towed as quickly as possible.

In a twitter post by Mayor Dawn Zimmer, the good news is Hoboken has its substations repaired.

PSE&G had earlier reported severe damage to the substations saying one had been under several feet of water and predicting a 7-10 day turnaround. They got it done in about four with a lot of help from local, State and Federal support plus a number of other power companies sending in specialists to assist.

Most of Hoboken came online by Sunday but it appears the whole city is back leading into Election Day.

All 3 substations in Hoboken are 100% operational and energized. If you still do not have power, contact PSE&G so they can troubleshoot. There may be issues between the substation and your home (tap lines, transformers, service drops, etc), or you may need to contact an electrician to inspect and potentially repair the electrical panel or wiring within your building. Call: 800-4360-PSEG or through MyAccount at www.pseg.com so PSE&G can troubleshoot any problems.
The Hoboken Housing Authority is also reported to have gotten power via FEMA generators.

We hope this finds you safe and well. Like many of us, you may be without power and focused on the immediate needs of your family. However, the Election is still happening on November 6th and it is important to vote for things that will shape our community for years to come. In three short years Kids First is making a difference and we can’t afford to go back to the days of waste and corruption.

If you can, we need your help to Get Out the Vote:

Drop by 626 Bloomfield, Monday from 4PM to 9 PM, and Tuesday starting at 7 AM, to grab a Kids First T-shirt, a Kids First button and Kids First voter information cards. Hold a campaign sign. Hand out literature. Only an hour of your time will make a difference in this very close election where every vote counts!

Regular polling places will be open on Election day and your vote will count! Polls will be open from 6am to 8pm. Either on machine ballot (if power) or paper ballot (if no power). If your regular polling location has changed, signs will direct you to your new location.

You can find your regular polling location by texting 877-877. Enter your street address along with Hoboken, NJ in the message. Hit send and you will receive a return text with your voting location.

I am sure most of you are still recovering from the devastating effects of Sandy, and my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as we continue to work together to rebuild Hoboken in this time of need.

I understand it is very hard to focus on an election in such challenging times. However, while this crisis will pass, many of the local issues we can vote on tomorrow will have an impact long into our future. For this reason, I am strongly urging you to go to the polls and vote tomorrow, November 6th.

In addition to the Presidential Election, there are important local issuesthat you will have a chance to vote on, and I write to briefly inform you about these issues. Voting on local issues is where you can have the biggest impact tomorrow!

In the Board of Education election on tomorrow, I strongly urge you to vote for the Kids First team of Jean Marie Mitchell, Thomas Kleupfel, and Ruth McCallister. As a proud parent of two children, including a daughter in the school district, I am personally invested in ensuring Hoboken's children receive the best possible education to prepare themselves for the future. Over the years I have become intimately aware of the great work the Kids First team has been doing in improving the quality of education in the classrooms, rooting out waste and patronage, and spending our tax dollars responsibly. So I ask you to continue the progress and support these three wonderful candidates.

PLEASE NOTE: even if you do not have children in the public school system, the quality and strength of our schools impacts the entire community. A substantial portion of your property taxes (your hard earned money!) is allocated towards the Hoboken school district. Successful schools will also attract more families, improve our quality of life and have a positive effect on property values. So even if you do not have a child in the public school system, it is in your direct interests to have a successful school district.

Local Questions 1&3, ELECTION REFORM: VOTE YES!

There are two very important referendum ballot questions - Local Question 1 and Local Question 3, on which I would strongly urge you to vote YEStomorrow. Currently, local elections for Mayor and City Council are held in May, and if no one receives over 50% of the vote, a second runoff election is held. Why is there an election in the middle of May and June? I have no idea, but frankly it makes no sense. This is our chance to change it! By voting YES on Local Questions 1 & 3, local elections will be moved to November, on the same date as federal and state elections, and there will be a single election. This is a common sense reform that will reduce trips to the polls, increase voter turnout, and save tax dollars associated with extra election days. So before leaving the voting booth on November 6th, remember to voteYES on Local Questions 1 & 3.

Local Question 2: Rent Control: VOTE NO!

I urge you to vote NO on Local Question 2 regarding a change to our Rent Control laws, and here is why: the proposed change does with a sledgehammer what we should be doing with a scalpel, through thoughtful legislation. I strongly believe that Hoboken should be a "live where you work" community where all residents irrespective of their income can find an affordable apartment. This referendum question will significantly erode this objective through the gradual elimination of affordable apartments in Hoboken.

Property owners claim that rent control is defective because wealthy residents are able to live in rent controlled apartments at rents well below what they can afford. Here's a solution to that problem: place an income-eligibility requirement into the law as they do in New York City. There, a property owner may submit an Income Verification Form to their tenant and if the federal adjusted gross income for the household exceeds $175,000, the property owner can apply to have the unit decontrolled. There is no reason we cannot consider a similar reform rather than decontrolling thousands of units for those that may need rent control's protections, as this referendum question will do upon vacancy of the current tenant.

I also often hear that property owners have no incentive to upgrade rent controlled units because the rent rolls are so low as to not allow them the means to do so. There's also a solution to this issue already within the rent control ordinance: apply for a hardship increase. Every landlord that can demonstrate they are not receiving a fair return on the investment of their property may apply before the Rent Control Board for a hardship increase, and there is no reason property owners should not take advantage of that benefit if they feel they are not getting enough value from their property.

Regarding exempting smaller buildings, I would be willing to consider an exemption of smaller buildings, but this ballot proposal includes bringing buildings with 10 units or more to market after a tenant vacates, which I do not support.

As you can see, this amendment is way overbroad. The problem is a complex one and requires a more nuanced approach if we are to maintain our current stock of affordable housing units within Hoboken, while also being fair to property owners. We can do it through further legislative reforms. But this ballot question simply shifts the law way too far to one side, so I ask you to vote NO on the Rent Control ballot question.

PLEASE PRINT OUT THIS EMAIL AND FORWARD IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO GET THE WORD OUT FOR TOMORROW's ELECTION!

Thank you for reading this far into my email. If you have any problems voting tomorrow, please call me on my cell at 201-647-6090 and I will try to assist you.

Okay, you've been through a lot and you need to figure out how this vote by email and fax thing works.

It's not too complicated but the first step is the most important. You need to contact the Hudson County Board of Elections and request a ballot be sent to you via email by 5:00 PM TODAY!
Once you do that, you're 50% done.

The ballot for email or fax back to Hudson County will look like a typical Vote-by-Mail ballot but you will print it out and sign it with an ORIGINAL SIGNATURE.

It must be an original signature, not a scanned version. Note you've been displaced when you do return your ballot.

IMPORTANT ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FIRST RESPONDERS & VOTERS DISPLACED BY HURRICANE SANDY.

According to a new directive ordered by the State of NJ, if you have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy and can not return home to vote at your polling location on Election Day, and can not appear at the County Clerk’s Office by 4:30 p.m. Monday, November 5th to apply for a Mail-in Ballot you may do the following in order to vote in the General Election:

Please include a notation in your e-mail or on your faxed application that you have been displaced by the hurricane and are not able to make it to our office or your polling place.

*Once your application has been received by this office, we will then email you your ballot, an electronic transmission sheet and a secrecy waiver. You must complete the ballot, sign the electronic transmission sheet and waiver in order for the vote to count. INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE INCLUDED WITH THESE DOCUMENTS.

Emailed / Faxed applications for Mail-In Ballots will only be accepted up until 5 p.m. on Monday, November 5th.

Sample ballot you will receive by email to vote. It will say Vote by Mailbut you will email or more likely sign and fax back noting you'v been displaced.

What happens when a hurricane interrupts an election campaign? For me, the campaign instantly becomes a triviality. Making sure your family and neighbors are safe is all I've thought about since Hurricane Sandy struck Hoboken almost a week ago. And then we receive news, while we're still without power, on our wind-up radio, that the nation is determined to hold the election on Tuesday, despite the fact that much of Hoboken, is still recovering, still without power, still seeking refuge. With only two days until election day those of us who care about the outcome of the election find ourselves torn. Do we not campaign out of respect for our community's current predicament? Or do we turn our attention to an election that has been called without regards to our predicament?

Forced Into an Election

We're being forced into this election too soon. Nevertheless, I know that, hurricane or not, the outcome of this election has long-term importance for Hoboken Public Schools. If the Kids First reform slate of Ruth McAllister, Jean Marie Mitchell, and Tom Kluepfel lose this election then majority control of Hoboken's Public Schools will return to former School Board President Frank Raia's "Move Forward" slate. While the slate itself seems harmless enough at first glance, save for the slate's uniform unfamiliarity with Hoboken Public Schools, what is most alarming is who is behind the slate. To anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Hoboken politics, a glance at the photos of the Move Forward's kick-off party says it all. A consolidated who's who of politicians and supporters responsible for raiding the coffers at both the School Board and the City. But three years ago Hoboken voters elected reform majorities to both the School Board and City Hall. And in that short time they've been cleaning up the corruption with a vengeance.

A Litany of Atrocities

At the School Board, the Kids First majority has uncovered a litany of atrocities: rigging the results for state education tests in order to obtain "Most Improved School District" status, providing hundreds of no-show and no-bid jobs and contracts, and running enormous tabs at restaurants. Meanwhile, school textbooks were long overdue for replacement and school buildings were falling into disrepair. All of this and much more has been rectified under a Kids First majority. Under Kids First the School Board has, for the first time, been honest about the financial and academic status of Hoboken's Public Schools. They've hired a new Superintendent, Dr. Mark Toback, who is implementing an aggressive plan to get Hoboken Schools back on track. They've eliminated the bogus jobs and canceled the contracts, successfully defending themselves against retaliatory law suits. Not only that, but our school district received an award for financial accounting excellence last year for turning the district's finances around and keeping Hoboken's tax levy flat for three years running, despite enduring severe financial cuts from the state.

Vote to Continue the Progress

Those behind Raia's "Move Forward" slate are desperate to regain control of the School Board. There is no question that under their control, Hoboken's Public Schools will quickly "Move Backward" to the sorry state they were in prior to Kids First majority control. If we must vote on Tuesday, before we've recovered from the disaster that has visited us, then we must vote to continue the progress that Kids First has brought to the Hoboken Public Schools. To maintain a majority the entire Kids First slate has to be elected. On the ballot please vote columns K, L and M, for Tom Kluepfel, Jean Marie Mitchell, and Ruth McAllister.

Links:

For a list of the financial atrocities we can expect under a "Move Forward" majority, see the KPMG audit of the Hoboken Public Schools from 2004 to 2006 that was buried by Frank Raia when he was President of the Hoboken School Board.

For an honest appraisal of the current academic state of Hoboken's Public Schools, I highly recommend reading Jason Yoon-Hendrick's two recent, extensively researched reports recently published in Hoboken Patch.

The signage on the windows at 12th and Washington over the weekend. Bad taste with the City trying to overcome the disaster brought on by Hurricane Sandy is not illegal. Beth Mason's illegal contributions and using a 501(c)3 charity to subsidize a political campaign most definitely is but who will stop Beth Mason's never ending "assault" on our community?

Talking Ed Note: Over the weekend, MSV took photos of the signage at Beth Mason's "civic" association. While late yesterday, the reports were the "charity" was overrun with hired people in Move Forward t-shirts, the campaigning prior was a bit more restrained.

Beth Mason made an illegal investment in the Move Forward BoE slate so what's the difference in campaigning when most of the City of Hoboken was without power and fighting to escape the grip of Hurricane Sandy?

MSV withheld doing a story but after the assaults by Beth Mason's paid political operatives, there's no reason the community shouldn't get the picture so to speak. After all, it's "compliments" of Beth Mason.

Word is the upset among the Old Guard is strong with reports of soggy destroyed vote-by-mail ballots perhaps stored in a poorly chosen fourth ward location.

MSV is well aware our community is not fully powered on and that the
injury to it in many respects has left many weakened and damaged. Nevertheless NJ
is going ahead with the election. With kind apology to those who don't
have power or are struggling with losses and damages, we'll attempt
to cover both.

From the Kids First BoE ticket:

Dear Friends,

We hope this finds you safe and well. Like many of us, you may be without power and focused on the immediate needs of your family. However, the Election is still happening on November 6th and it is important to vote for things that will shape our community for years to come. In three short years Kids First is making a difference and we can’t afford to go back to the days of waste and corruption.

If you can, we need your help to Get Out the Vote:

Drop by 626 Bloomfield, Monday from 4PM to 9 PM, and Tuesday starting at 7 AM, to grab a Kids First T-shirt, a Kids First button and Kids First voter information cards. Hold a campaign sign. Hand out literature. Only an hour of your time will make a difference in this very close election where every vote counts!

Regular polling places will be open on Election day and your vote will count! Polls will be open from 6am to 8pm. Either on machine ballot (if power) or paper ballot (if no power). If your regular polling location has changed, signs will direct you to your new location.

You can find your regular polling location by texting 877-877. Enter your street address along with Hoboken, NJ in the message. Hit send and you will receive a return text with your voting location.

Remember to Vote Columns K-L-M for the Kids First Team of Tom, Jean Marie and Ruthy. Kids First has the support of Mayor Zimmer!

Finally, PLEASE forward this email to your friends and neighbors. Spread the word about Kids First!

MSV standing policy is to allow submittals of announcements of candidates for election without any editorial addition. In the case of the Move Forward Nazi truck backed BoE ticket, we're making a first time ever exception.

Putting defamatory material about MSV on a Nazi truck, Beth Mason's illegal contributions and the assaults on our person for no reason on Washington Street as Councilwoman Mason stood feet away with silent approval, etc, think clearly what this element will be delivering to the schools and taxpayers who foot the bill.